It is possible to table a motion of no confidence against the prime minister even though the standing order is silent on the matter, said minister in charge of parliamentary affairs Azalina Othman.
She said a motion of no confidence against a PM was submitted by opposition leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail against then PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in June 2008 under standing orders 18(1) and (2).
However, Azalina noted that speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia rejected the motion under order 18(7) because the motion was to seek a resolution while the standing orders cited by Wan Azizah was to seek a negotiation.
“So it is clear that the motion was not barred, but was not aligned with the cited standing orders,” she said in a blog post.
Her remarks come after former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad last night lamented how a no confidence vote might not happen in Malaysia because the speaker would block it.
A showing of no confidence in Parliament has been mooted as one of the possible ways to oust Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak ( photo ), who has refused to quit office despite his many scandals.
Azalina noted that while a vote of no confidence is possible and may even be allowed to be brought to the Dewan Rakyat, it will not succeed.
"The opposition needs at least 25 more MPs to secure a simple majority for the motion. This is unlikely to happen because the fact is that the majority of MPs support the 'leader of the house' that is the prime minister," she said.
Parliament resumes on Oct 18, and the opposition is banking on disenfranchised BN lawmakers to support its call for Najib's ouster.
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